The Buffyverse's Island
by buffygirl52789
Summary: Completely AU. After a cruise for winners of a radio contest goes horribly wrong, Buffy and Co. find themselves stranded on an island. [Complete]
1. Chapter 1: Shipwrecked

Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine.

Pairing: B/A, W/T, X/A, D/C

Rating: PG 13

Warning: Character deaths

Setting: Completely AU

Author's Notes: Okay. Be warned that this plot is the product of way too much sleep and too many hours out in the sun. The original idea came to me when I was reading this adorable Port Charles Rali fanfic where Alison was pregnant and overemotional, so much that she cried while watching Gilligan's Island reruns because "they just can't seem to get off that island!" This is completely AU, no vampires, demons, keys, witches, etc, and no one really knows each other except Buffy and Dawn, who are sisters, and Connor and Angel, who are father and son. I also apologize for the character deaths if you are a fan of the characters who die. This is my first attempt at a somewhat humorous fic. So just bear with me. Please R&R!

Chapter 1: Shipwrecked!

"Buffy, why do we have to go to this stupid radio thing anyway?" Dawn complained as she and her sister approached the docked boat.

"Because I won this cruise and I want to get my reward!" Buffy said. A month earlier, she had won a day on a luxury cruise in the Pacific from a local radio station. Buffy had put a lot of effort into being the 41st caller, and she was determined to enjoy her prize. Dawn was lucky to even be here, it had taken some serious flirting with the deejay to get an extra ticket.

"Name?" asked the guy standing at the entrance to the boat.

"Buffy and Dawn Summers," Buffy replied. The guy scanned his list on the clipboard, and checked off their names.

"Contest winners, huh? You can go up on deck, most of the other winners are here already. We should be leaving a few minutes."

"Thanks!" Buffy and Dawn boarded the boat, which already contained about 20 people. Most were just milling around, looking pretty bored. There were several other girls around Buffy's age, and one younger boy who looked about Dawn's age. Buffy knew that there had been 11 winners, because the radio station was KFM11. The other people were probably either crew members or from the station.

"You want anything to drink?" Buffy said, spotting a bar where a handsome guy was serving drinks.

"Yeah, I'll have a tequila," Dawn joked.

Buffy frowned at her sister. Just then the guy with the clipboard came up on deck and motioned to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone's here now. So, welcome contest winners! We appreciate having you here. There is an open bar, and downstairs there are some freebies that you are welcome to take with you. We will be returning at 10 pm tonight, so we have a nice long day ahead of us. So get to know each other and enjoy the California sun!" he stopped speaking, and went to talk to the captain.

"I wonder how long the sun's gonna last. It looks kinda stormy," Dawn said. The sky did have a funny gray color to it.

Buffy shrugged. "Well I'm gonna go get a drink. You'll be okay here?"

Dawn nodded, and Buffy headed over to the bar. She ordered her drink and sat down to wait. She was soon joined by a redheaded girl and a guy about their age.

"So are you enjoying yourself? Because I think that would make you one of the few," the guy said, with a goofy smile.

Buffy smiled. "Well I earned this, so I'm going to try to enjoy it. I'm Buffy," she said reaching out her hand.

"Xander," he said, shaking her hand.

"I'm Willow," said the redhead, with a smile and a wave.

Buffy smiled at Willow. "So are you guys from the area?"

"Yeah, I'm a student at UC Sunnydale," Willow said.

"Really? I went there. For like, a year. But then my mom passed away, and I have to take care of my sister. That's her, over there," Buffy said, motioning to where Dawn stood chatting with the younger boy.

"Oh, I'm sorry about your mom," Willow said kindly.

"Thanks. I've always intended on going back to school though." She turned to Xander. "So what do you do?"

"I'm a carpenter," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "Very cool. Because I mean where would the world be without carpenters?" There was a brief awkward silence during which Willow and Xander looked at Buffy strangely.

"So did you guys know each other before?" Buffy asked.

"No. The only person I knew was Tara," Willow said, motioning to a shy looking blonde by the railing. "We go to UC together." Willow smiled at Tara, who smiled back.

The boat began to move. "Well here we go. I feel like we should be singing the Gilligan's Island theme song," Xander joked.

Willow's eyes widened. "No! No shipwrecks."

Buffy laughed. It was amazing, she had just met them, but she already felt like she had known Willow and Xander forever. Maybe they had known each other in a past life or something.

"Yeah, my sister dragged me here too," Dawn said to the boy, whose name was Connor. "I didn't think there would be anyone my age here."

Connor smiled. "Me neither. But my dad really wanted me to come," he said.

"Did your dad have to flirt with the deejay to get you a ticket?" Dawn joked.

Connor raised an eyebrow. "I sure hope not. Besides, it seems he's noticed your sister," he said. Angel was indeed eyeing Buffy. Dawn noticed another guy also checking out her sister, a punk looking dude with bleach blonde hair.

"Looks like a wide mix of people listen to KFM11," Connor commented. There was a great variety of people assembled on the boat. A geeky looking blond guy that looked like he belonged in some government agency or something was leaning awkwardly against the railing. A pretty dark haired girl was flirting with one of the crew members. An older man was sipping a beer and talking to a girl about Buffy's age. And a tomboyish looking brunette was closely studying the redhead talking to Buffy.

"Definitely," Dawn said. She smiled at Connor. She was becoming more happy that Buffy had dragged her along today.

Three hours later, Buffy was officially having a great time. Willow and Xander were hilarious, and they had already met some other people. The older British man was called Giles, and he was the librarian at the local high school. The punk with the bleached hair was Spike, and he had spent most of the cruise downing tequila shots and watching Buffy. The geek who had attempted to flirt with Buffy earlier was named Riley, and he had moved on to Cordelia, the aspiring actress, who was looking at him like he was something she stepped on. Kennedy was the tomboy who had been talking to Willow earlier, but Willow was obviously more interested in Tara, the blonde. No one really liked Anya, the store owner with no sense of tact, except for Xander, who seemed quite taken with her. Buffy hadn't talked to the mysteriously handsome father of Dawn's new friend, but they had exchanged a few glances. Meanwhile Dawn was having the time of her life, she and Connor appeared to be attached at the hip.

Buffy was in the middle of a conversation with Giles when she felt a raindrop. She looked up and noticed that the sky was completely overcast. Soon it turned into a downpour. Everyone took shelter under the awning covering the inner part of the deck.

"Everyone stay calm," spoke the captain's voice over the speaker system. "It is just a thunderstorm, it will pass. But as an emergency precaution that we are required to take by law, life jackets and rafts can be found in the box behind the bar."

Dawn rushed over to Buffy, looking worried. "Buffy, why are they giving emergency precautions?"

Connor took Dawn's hand. "It will be okay." Dawn smiled at him.

After ten minutes, the storm was only getting worse. There was now thunder and lightning in addition to the downpour, and the ride was becoming extremely rocky. Everyone was panicking a little.

"We should really turn back," Giles said, wiping his glasses.

As if answering him, the captain's voice returned to the speakers. "Everyone, I ask you again to remain calm. The storm has knocked out our signals, so we have to return to shore. Just sit tight."

"No signals? Forget Gilligan's Island, we should be signing the Titanic theme song!" Xander yelled as the boat began to turn.

Buffy winced as Celine Dion's voice filled her head. Great, now she would be singing "My Heart Will Go On" for a week.

Angel pushed through the crowd until he reached Buffy. "Hey. It seems my son and your sister are getting along quite well," he said, motioning to where Dawn and Connor sat, his arms around her.

Buffy smiled at Angel. "So what-"

She was cut off when a huge wave tipped the boat almost completely sideways, causing water to stream onto the deck. A few people screamed.

"I really don't like this anymore," Buffy said nervously.

Another huge wave hit the boat, sending everyone stumbling to the other side. Riley was crying now. Instinctively Tara had grabbed Willow's hand, and they were now smiling at each other, despite the huge waves crashing onto the deck around them.

"Passengers, stay calm. The crew is distributing life jackets, and we request that everyone puts one on."

There was a mad dash to the bar, because no one hated the idea of a flotation device right about now. Buffy pushed to the front and gave one to Dawn, before strapping one on herself.

Just then the biggest wave yet rocked the boat, tipping it completely sideways. Everyone screamed and grabbed onto the nearest object, except for Riley. He had been too slow, and was now crying like a baby as he fell off the boat into the churning water.

Everyone stared in horror as Riley's screams faded. Then everyone quickly continued strapping their life vests on. Buffy also grabbed the collapsible life raft, just in case.

"Everyone to the middle of the deck! Please hold on to something!" shouted the captain's voice.

Everyone scrambled to hold on to something, poles, stools, anything. But Kennedy wasn't quick enough. As another huge wave rocked the boat, she was pulled into the water. She reached out for something to hold on to, and Buffy tried to reach her hand, but it was no use, and she was taken screaming by the enormous wave.

As everyone stared in horror, Buffy heard a strange ripping noise, followed by the sound of flowing water.

"What was that?" she shouted to Angel. He shrugged.

Just then one of the crew members came up on deck. "Everyone, please don't panic, but we have a leak downstairs. We need to evacuate the ship immediately."

Buffy bravely let go of the pole she was holding on to and stepped forward. She could feel the ship starting to tip to one side already. It must be some leak. "Everyone over here!" She yelled, and she unfolded the life raft. Angel came to help her. As they worked at assembling it, their hands brushed, and they shared a brief smile. Then they snapped out of it. Buffy threw the decent-sized raft into the water, holding on to the rope it was attached to. "Dawn! Get in," she yelled.

Her sister stared down at the distance from the deck to the water. It was about 5 feet, and quickly decreasing. She took a deep breath, and Connor hoisted her over the railing where she slid down the rope to land safely in the raft.

"Come on!" Buffy encouraged, as one by one the people on the boat boarded the life raft. She soon realized with a sinking heart that they weren't all going to fit. Dawn, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, Anya, Xander, Connor, and Giles were in the raft already, and there was only room for about one more person. And there was still Angel, Spike, herself, two radio representatives, the captain, and about 3 crew members on board the quickly sinking boat. There was now only about 2 feet from the deck to the life raft.

"You go," Angel said, pushing Buffy forward. Relieved, she climbed into the raft next to her sister. Then Angel and Spike jumped into the water fully clothed. Just as they hit the water, a huge wave carried the boat backwards and underwater, trapping the remaining 6 passengers. A moment later they couldn't see the ship anymore.

The raft was packed very tight, and Angel and Spike were clinging to the sides. Buffy prayed that someone would come to rescue them soon. Then she realized with a sinking heart that the ship's signals had gone out over 30 minutes ago, and after that they had turned around. Even if someone back on shore realized that something was wrong they would start looking miles in the other direction. Buffy also realized that the raft was moving with the waves. She had completely lost her bearings when the ship had sank, so she had no idea where they were traveling in relation to land or the ship's course.

Next to her, Connor had his arms wrapped around a shivering Dawn, who was also crying. "Buffy, someone's going to r-rescue us right?" she asked hopefully.

Buffy pasted a very fake smile on her face. "Of course! I'm sure any minute now." She caught Angel's eye as he gripped the raft next to her, and realized that he was thinking the same thing she was: that the chance of them being rescued any time in the near future was _very_ slim.

No one spoke as they continued to drift. It seemed like well over an hour. Eventually the storm began to pass, and the sun came out again. This raised everyone's hopes a little. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Willow spoke. "Look! I see land!"

Everyone sat up straight and starting cheering when they saw an island ahead of them. It was pretty obvious that it was _not_ California, but any land was better than the cold ocean.

They reached the island after several long minutes, and Angel and Spike, who were drenched, pulled the raft ashore. Slowly everyone climbed out. They appeared to be on a tropical island. They were standing in the middle of a large beach, and there were palm trees in the distance. For a few minutes no one said anything, until Anya broke the silence.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say THIS SUCKS!" she screamed. "We're shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere, we were just on a ship that sank with living people aboard, and no one's probably even looking for us!"

_That pretty much sums it up,_ Buffy thought sadly.


	2. Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews of chapter 1! I'm glad you guys like this! I apologize for the numerous Gilligan's Island and Survivor references in this chapter. -cough- Sorry this is kind of short. Please read and review!

Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest

"What do you mean no ones coming?" Dawn said slowly. "Buffy, someone's coming to rescue us, right?"

Buffy glanced nervously at Angel. "Well the thing is that we're off course a little. After the ship's signal went out, we turned around. And then-"

"We got in a raft and got blown off even further into the middle of nowhere," Anya finished.

Dawn began to look upset. "But they will find us eventually, right?"

"Depends on your definition of eventually. Because right now it's looking like this side of never." Anya turned around and peered through the trees on the island. "I wonder if there are cannibals here."

"What!?" Xander asked, sounding slightly panicked himself.

Anya looked at him, exasperated. "Like that episode of Gilligan's Island. Where the cannibals are going to eat Gilligan?" She turned to Dawn. "They would probably eat you first. They like young meat."

Dawn was on the verge of tears now. Connor put an arm around her to comfort her. "I'm sure there are no cannibals here," he said reassuringly. "Why don't we take a walk? Check out the rest of the island?" Dawn nodded, and they headed off away from the others.

"Buffy, is Anya right? Are we going to be here forever?" Cordelia asked, sounding dismayed. "I have an audition tomorrow!"

Buffy massaged her temples. She was getting a headache. "I'm sure we won't be here forever. But we have to look at the possibility that it might be days before anyone finds us."

"On Gilligan's Island, they never got rescued!" Anya said pointedly.

Giles turned to look at her. "Yes they did, in the movie."

Anya frowned. "There was never a Gilligan's Island movie!"

Giles began to look angry. "Yes there was! The TV movie! 1978!"

As Anya and Giles continued to argue over whether there was a Gilligan's Island movie, Tara spoke for the first time since the boat sank. "It's more l-like, S-Survivor," she said softly.

Willow faced her with a smile. "Yeah! Like the Pearl Islands! When they didn't tell them the game was starting-"

"And they had to jump off the boat in their c-clothes," Tara finished.

Willow and Tara were soon involved in a heated discussion of how similar their situation was to those of the Survivor contestants. Buffy wandered away from the group, and stood in the ankle deep water. Soon Angel joined her.

"It's gonna be okay," he said.

Buffy felt tears coming to her eyes. "Dawn didn't even want to come. I dragged her along. And now we're probably going to die out here."

Angel chuckled. "We're not going to die." There was a brief pause. "I am really starting to regret dialing that radio station," he said with a laugh.

Buffy stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. Given their current situation, it felt good to laugh.

"So what do you say we go back there and come up with a plan?" Angel said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Buffy smiled up at him. "Sounds good." Then they headed back to where the others stood, still talking a mile a minute.

As they approached the group, Spike, who had been pretty quiet, came up to Buffy and Angel. "Look pet, I don't really want to starve to death. And you seem to be a good leader. So what do you say you tell these idiots to do something better than stand around arguing about Gilligan's Island?" he said.

Buffy nodded. "That was the plan." Then she stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle. Everyone immediately stopped talking.

"Thank you. Okay, we have decided that we need to take some action if we want to survive out here," Buffy said. "So Willow, Tara, Anya, and Cordelia, go explore the island. See if you can find any kind of food or water source. If you do, bring back as much as you can." They nodded and set off. Buffy turned to the guys. "You guys should get to work on building some kind of shelter. You never know when it might start raining again. Xander, you're a carpenter, you're in charge. We should probably also think about building a fire, to boil some ocean water. Now get to work. If we want to survive we need to work together."

A little taken aback by Buffy's new leadership role, the guys slowly began to move around. Pleased, Buffy turned to Angel. "You should help them. I'm going to go look for any way we can get off this stupid island."

Angel nodded and smiled at her. "Good job."

Buffy smiled back. "Thanks."

Angel joined the others in gathering materials for the shelter. Buffy set off walking. She wanted to see if she could see any land from any point on the island. She knew that the chances were slim to none, but it was a good place to start anyway.

"Connor, I'm scared," Dawn said. They were strolling around the island, holding hands.

Connor kissed the top of her head. "I know. But it will be okay. Don't pay attention to that Anya chick, she's just trying to scare you."

Dawn sighed. "I know. But I'm just worried. I mean, what if there is no food on the island, and we starve? Or what if we get attacked by killer bugs in our sleep? And what if we're stuck here so long that we get old and wrinkled?" she asked.

Connor smiled. "You would still be beautiful."

Dawn stopped walking and turned to face him. "Would you kiss me now? Because I've actually never been kissed before, and I want to be before I get all dried up and old," she said softly.

Connor smiled. Then he leaned in and kissed her.

They pulled apart a moment later. "Wow," Dawn whispered.

"You're a special girl Dawn Summers," he said, brushing her hair out of her face. Dawn smiled, and then they kissed again.

A few hours later things were looking up. Buffy hadn't spotted any land from the island, but the guys had built a really good shelter under Xander's command. And the fire was going, after a few very frustrating hours. The turning point had been when they finally realized to use Giles's glasses. And the best part was that the girls had found some coconuts, and they were actually pretty good. And once cleaned out, they could be used to boil water in.

"Maybe we have a chance after all," Angel said to Buffy as they sat on the beach. The sun was setting, and the other's were talking and enjoying coconuts.

"Maybe," Buffy said. Then Angel put his arm around her, and she settled her body against his, and just listened to the crashing of the waves.


	3. Chapter 3: Whodunit?

Chapter 3: Whodunit?

Early the next morning Buffy lie awake in the shelter. She was staring at Angel's sleeping back, and deep in thought. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night; the fact that she was laying on logs tied together was probably a factor. But it had given her the opportunity to think of what they were going to do next. She had more or less taken a leadership position in the dysfunctional group, and she was determined to find them a way off this island, which she was already coming to hate. So far her best idea was to have a few people, maybe herself and Angel, go out in the raft and look for signs of life. But the problem with that scenario was the fact that they had drifted a lot, so she didn't know which way to travel, and they could starve to death out there. Staying on the island was much safer, but she owed it to her sister and the others to find them a way home.

Deciding that this was their only option, she gently tapped Angel's shoulder. The sun was coming up, and it was best that they discussed this alone. He began to stir, and she motioned for him to follow her down to the beach. They tiptoed out of the shelter.

"Good morning," Angel said, rubbing his neck.

"Look, I came up with a plan. It's risky, but I think we should do it." Buffy quickly described her idea.

Angel shrugged. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea for me. I'm up for it." He looked around. "Where is the raft?"

Buffy felt her stomach drop through her feet. "Oh no, don't even tell me," she gasped.

Angel caught her drift, and his eyes widened. "No, we couldn't have been that stupid."

Buffy thought back, and realized that she didn't remember tying up the raft herself, or anyone else doing it. She just remembered coming ashore, and then arguing on the beach...

Buffy began to run, all the way down the beach and back. Angel followed. Finally, when she saw that the raft was really gone, she sank down into the sand and began to cry again.

"We are so screwed! We're all going to die out here, just because we called the stupid radio station and didn't tie up the freaking raft!" she sobbed.

Angel put an arm around her. "Yes, it sucks. Yes, we were incredibly stupid. But we are not going to die. I am not about to let that happen."

Buffy looked up, her face very close to his. He leaned in, and she closed her eyes...

"Hey Buffy! Whatcha doin?" Dawn strolled down the beach towards them, hand in hand with Connor.

Buffy and Angel jumped up quickly, avoiding each other's eyes. "Nothing," Buffy said, a little too quickly.

"Nope, nothing at all," Angel said quickly. He met Buffy's eyes, and they met an unspoken agreement not to tell them about the raft.

Dawn frowned slightly. "Well we're out of coconuts, and some of the others are going to go get some more. Wanna come?"

Buffy shook her head slightly. "No, I'll stay here. Man the fort," she joked.

Dawn nodded. "Okay. We'll be back soon." The two headed back to the shelter, where the others were waking up. Then Dawn, Connor, Willow, Tara, and Xander headed off into the trees.

Buffy looked at Angel. "What are we going to do?"

Angel shook his head. "Keep hoping that someone will find us."

"Here are the coconut trees. Try to grab as many as you can," Willow said. She, Tara, and Xander began gathering the lowest coconuts. Dawn started to join them until Connor pulled her back behind a tree.

"What are you doing?" Dawn squealed.

"This." He kissed her passionately. She relaxed instantly, putting her arms around his neck. Then they broke apart, smiling.

"One good thing about trees: good make out spots," Connor said with a smile. Dawn smiled and moved to kiss him again.

"Dawn? Connor? A little help?" Xander called. Reluctantly the two broke apart and joined the others in gathering coconuts. Xander was up in the tree, yanking off coconuts and tossing them down to Willow and Tara.

"I'm g-going to t-take these back. I'll c-come back," Tara said softly, juggling an armful of coconuts.

Willow smiled and touched her arm gently. "Okay. Be careful," she said. Tara smiled sweetly at her and set off back towards the camp.

Soon they had gathered as many coconuts as they could carry. "Tara should be back by now," Willow said, visibly worried.

Xander nodded. "It's alright, I'm sure she's just enjoying coconuts with the others. Let's head back, we'll probably run into her on the way."

Willow nodded, unconvinced. Then the foursome slowly made their way back to the beach.

Buffy and Angel joined the others at the shelter after a while. Giles, Spike, Anya, and Cordelia were sitting there, looking very depressed. "I had an audition today," Cordelia said. "For a tampon commercial. And my agent said I was a shoo-in, but now I'm out here on this hell-hole while they're off giving the part to some other bitch!"

Giles cleaned his glasses tiredly. "And I know that your missed opportunity is right at the top of our list of problems right now," he said sarcastically. She turned towards him, outraged.

"Excuse me, but this was an excellent opportunity. It's a shame that you missed your daily tea," she shot back.

Anya and Spike stood up quickly, eager to get away from the argument. They joined Buffy and Angel off to the side. "The rafts bloody gone isn't it?" Spike asked.

Buffy was slightly alarmed. "What? How did you..."

"It's pretty easy to figure out," Anya said. "I don't see it, do you? And besides, I have never seen one movie about people stranded on an island where they have such an easy means of escape."

Spike sighed. "Well this is bloody brilliant." Buffy looked at him._ I don't really know what to make of Spike. But he's strong, and he might be able to help us survive out here. But I think he has a crush on me. I saw him checking me out yesterday before the boat sank. _

Angel stared at Spike, dislike boiling within. _I don't like him. He thinks he's all manly, but I have muscles that I'm sure he's never even heard of. And I don't like the way he looks at Buffy._

"I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to scare Dawn," Buffy said. "But I suppose we should tell the others. Maybe if we all put our heads together we can come up with a plan."

"Yes, a plan that doesn't involve tools or flotation devices of any kind," Anya stated.

Buffy ignored her. "Let's go talk to Giles and Cordelia. If they've stopped bickering."

The four headed over to the shelter, but they were interrupted when Dawn, Connor, Willow, and Xander came through the trees, arms full of coconuts.

"Breakfast is served. So is lunch, dinner, and snacks," Xander said, setting down the coconuts next to the shelter.

Willow dropped her coconuts and looked around, alarmed. "Tara's not here?" she asked Buffy, panic in her eyes.

Buffy shook her head, frowning. "I thought she went with you."

"She did, but she was coming back here, and that was a really long time ago!" Willow cried.

"Maybe the cannibals got her," Anya said. "That's a shame."

Buffy put her arm around Willow, glaring at Anya. "I'm sure she's fine. She probably just got lost in the woods."

Willow set off for the trees at a run. "We need to find her!" She stopped suddenly when Tara emerged from the trees, grinning.

"Y-you guys, you won't b-believe what I found!" she said excitedly. "C-come here!"

Willow, extremely relieved to see Tara, gave her a quick hug before following. Everyone jumped up and followed the two, excited to see what Tara had found.

"I g-got lost on my way b-back," Tara said, coming to a stop. "And I found t-this!" She pointed upwards.

Buffy looked up and gasped. There, growing from the tree, were hundreds of bananas.

"Oh my God, Tara this is awesome!" Dawn shrieked, hugging Connor.

Extremely excited, the group gathered as many bananas as they could carry before heading back to camp. Once they got there, they began to eat.

"Mmmm!" Cordelia said, suddenly much happier. "Nice and ripe!"

Buffy sat in the sand happily eating a banana. Tara's find had lifted her spirits considerably, and things were now looking much more hopeful. At least they weren't going to starve to death!

After everyone had eaten a few bananas, they carefully placed the remaining 5 bananas in the shelter. "Anyone want to go for a swim?" Buffy asked.

Everyone jumped up, smiling. "That sounds great!" Willow said. Happily, the eleven headed off to the water, all in much better spirits than they had been in when they woke up.

About an hour later the group returned to the beach. "That was fun," Dawn said. They shook the water off themselves. Most of the guys had stripped down to their boxers, and some of the girls down to their underwear. But Dawn had remained happily clothed, because she was still a little self conscious around Connor. But he had looked totally hot in his underwear.

"I need another banana," Anya said, heading over to the shelter. She got there and stopped dead in her tracks. She looked up at the others, frowning.

"What happened to the fifth banana?" she asked angrily.

Buffy hurried over to her side. Sure enough, only four bananas remained in the spot where she was sure there had been five an hour ago.

"That's strange. I know there was five there," Buffy said, turning to Angel.

Angel shrugged. "Maybe an animal got it."

Anya shook her head, looking angrier by the minute. "I haven't seen one animal the whole time we've been here. And cannibals eat flesh, not bananas!"

The others began to slowly join the group. Anya glared at Spike. "You! You have been looking shifty ever since we got here! You probably snuck out of the water and stole a banana!"

Connor frowned. "Why would we steal a banana? We can get a banana from the tree whenever we want."

Anya glared at him. "Is that a confession?"

Dawn jumped in front of Connor. "Don't you dare accuse him of stealing a stupid banana!" she yelled.

Spike chuckled. "A little protective, are we? Personally nibblet I think you can do much better. This one's scrawny," he said, looking Connor up and down.

Angel was in Spike's face a millisecond later. "That's my son you're talking about. If you know what's good for you, you'll back off."

Spike smirked. "Make me."

Angel threw a punch at Spike, but Buffy jumped in the middle and stopped him. "This isn't helping!" she pleaded.

Meanwhile, Cordelia and Giles were going at it again. "You probably took it because you're bitter about missing your bloody tampon commercial!" Giles yelled.

"Hello, what's your childhood trauma? You probably took it, because of course old folks need more nourishment. How old are you anyway?" Cordelia demanded.

Meanwhile Willow and Tara were cowering behind the shelter. "An awful lot of drama over a silly banana," Willow muttered. Unfortunately Anya overheard.

"That sounds like the words of a BANANA THIEF!" Anya yelled. Willow stood up straight and began yelling back, while Tara tried to defend Willow.

"Woah, Anya let's take a moment to calm down," Xander said, attempting to intervene. Anya just ignored him and continued fighting with Willow.

Meanwhile Buffy and Connor were restraining Angel and Spike, Dawn was yelling at Spike, and Cordelia and Giles were still arguing. One could say it was chaos.

Throughout the entire scene a little monkey sat up in a tree, munching on a banana.


	4. Chapter 4: Eye of the Storm

Author's Note: Many thanks to Tara for giving me the idea for this part. Also someone asked how long this fic was going to be, and I honestly don't know. I'm really just going day by day on this one. Enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Eye of the Storm

Later that day Buffy sat in silence down on the beach. Since the huge fight earlier, no one was really speaking to each other. Dawn and Connor had gone off to do God-knows-what, Willow and Tara were walking to get more bananas, Anya, Cordelia, and Spike were moping in the shelter, Xander and Giles were trying to get the fire started again since it had gone out, and Angel was...Buffy actually didn't know where Angel was. Figures, the one person she actually wanted to see was missing. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She just wanted more than anything to go home and take a nap in her warm bed.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Angel asked, coming to sit down beside her.

Buffy perked up at his voice and tried to smile. "Just thinking about how nice it would be to be home right now, curled up safely on the couch watching crappy television."

Angel sighed. "I hear ya."

A wind blew in from the ocean, and Buffy shivered. She was only wearing the tank top and shorts she had worn on that ill-fated boat ride, and they were still slightly damp from their morning swim. The sun hadn't been out much today, and she was nervous that another storm was coming. The ominous looking clouds seemed to confirm her fears.

"Are you cold? Here," Angel said, pulling her closer to him. She relaxed immediately against his chest.

"I'm really glad that you're here. I don't know what I would do without you," Buffy said softly.

Slightly surprised at her words, Angel hesitated for a moment before replying. "I'm really glad that you're here too." He paused. "Maybe it was fate. All of us ending up here together. Us," he said.

She smiled up at him. "That's a nice way to think of it." Before she realized what was happening he leaned in and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, comforted by the feeling of his lips on hers. There was unbelievable chemistry between them; Buffy could feel her skin tingling. Their kiss was interrupted when Buffy felt a drop of water hit her head. They slowly broke apart, and Buffy looked up at the now completely overcast sky. "Oh boy," she said.

"Better batten down the hatches," Angel said.

They hurried up to the shelter while the rain started to fall harder. Willow and Tara had gotten back at some point, and everyone was eating bananas inside the shelter. Except for Dawn and Connor.

"They're not back yet," Buffy said, turning to Angel with a look of panic on her face.

Angel squeezed her hand. "They'll be okay. They probably just decided to wait out the storm somewhere else." But Buffy noticed the look of concern on his face, and knew he was just trying to make her feel better. "Get in the shelter. Hopefully the storm will pass."

They sat in the shelter along with the others. Willow held out a banana to Buffy, but she shook her head. She was too scared about Dawn's safety to eat right now.

The storm was quickly getting worse. When the first clap of thunder sounded, everyone jumped, especially Tara. "I h-hate thunder," she whispered to Willow. Willow put her arms around her.

"It's okay. Nothing will hurt you while I'm here," she whispered back.

When a jagged blast of lightning lit up the sky, Buffy closed her eyes. She wouldn't be able to stand it if anything happened to Dawn. Angel squeezed her hand again. "It'll be okay. Connor knows how to take care of himself, I'm sure he has her someplace safe."

On the other side of the island, Dawn and Connor's make out session had been interrupted by the storm. Now they were running along the trees, trying to find a safe place to wait out the storm.

"There!" Connor said, pointing to a little alcove in the trees. Hand in hand they ran towards it. It was actually a little cave formed by rocks, just big enough for the two of them. They sat down inside.

"Wow, that was scary," Dawn said, shaking some of the water off herself.

Connor put his arms around her. "It's okay. We're safe now."

Dawn groaned. "Buffy must be so worried. I hope they don't come looking for us."

Connor shook his head. "I don't think they will. I'm sure my dad knows we're okay."

"I hope we'll be able to find our way back. We should have left a trail of breadcrumbs or something," Dawn muttered.

Connor smiled. "We'll get back. How big can this island be?"

"Not big enough for the rescuers to see it," Dawn said quietly.

Connor sighed. "Don't worry baby. I'm sure we'll get off this hell hole eventually. And until we do, at least we're together."

Dawn smiled and they kissed. "This is actually kind of romantic you know. Us stranded here in a cave, storm raging, waves crashing."

Connor smiled. "What are you suggesting?"

Dawn smiled back, turning to face him. "Maybe something like this." She kissed him. The kiss quickly grew more passionate, and they collapsed into the wet sand of the small cave. After a while Connor pulled away.

"Dawn..." his voice trailed off.

She frowned. "What is it?"

He looked her in the eyes. "I just want to set something straight. I really like you. And I really enjoy the kissing and everything. But please know that we don't have to go any further than that."

After this registered, Dawn blinked. "Connor, I know. I mean, I'm only sixteen. And we've really only known each other for about 48 hours. But it feels like so much longer. And I hope...I hope that when we get home we can have something wonderful. Because these past two days with you have felt so good. And I'm willing to wait until the time is right," she finished.

Connor smiled softly. "Wow. You are one amazing girl." They kissed again.

Dawn shuddered. "The storm is getting worse." The trees on the beach were blowing sideways, and the thunder and lightning seemed to be right on top of them.

Connor frowned. He was a little worried about the others. At least him and Dawn were in a pretty sturdy cave, the others only had a shelter made of logs on the bare beach.

"Have I mentioned all the good this is not?" Xander said nervously as the storm worsened.

Unaware of her actions, Anya snuggled up to him. "I don't like this either." Xander was a little surprised by the sudden contact, but welcomed it.

As the rain became harder, it started coming through the palms that made up the "roof" of the shelter. As Buffy began to get drenched she looked at Angel, scared. As their eyes met she knew they were both thinking the same thing: the shelter was not going to hold.

Spike seemed to catch their drift. "Look, I think we should think about getting somewhere safer than this before we all get struck by the bloody lightning."

Giles looked at Buffy. "Where should we-"

He was interrupted when a huge gust of wind blew through the shelter, chilling them all to the bone and lifting the rood completely off the shelter. Now the rain poured down on them with nothing to hold it back. They were virtually sitting on a pile of logs with some more logs on two sides, which looked like they were going to give any minute.

"Whoa, I spent a lot of time and effort on this shelter," Xander said, moving to hold up one of the supports. "Help me out here guys. It would really suck to be back to square one."

Angel moved slightly away from Buffy to grab the support on the other side, but he was too late. The wind knocked it over, and it came crashing into the former shelter where they all sat. Angel pulled Buffy out of harm's way; Spike and Giles moved on their own, rolling out of the shelter into the sand. Willow and Tara had been sitting far enough to the back to be out of danger. Xander let go of the other support to rescue Anya from the falling log, causing the support on the other side to collapse into the sand. But Cordelia wasn't so lucky. She hadn't moved fast enough, and the log had crashed down on her leg. There was a sickening cracking noise, followed by a scream.

"My leg!" Cordelia shrieked. Spike and Giles quickly lifted the log off of Cordy's leg. It was bent in a really unnatural way. "I think it's broken," Cordelia moaned.

Angel looked at Buffy. This was just great. There was a torrential storm going on, their only shelter was long gone, they were all drenched to the bone, Cordelia had a broken leg that they had no way of treating, and Dawn and Connor were still MIA. Yup, everything was just peachy.

All that remained of the shelter was a few logs that formed the base. Spike had picked up Cordelia and was heading for the trees. "We need to get her somewhere safe," Spike yelled over the wind.

"Let's all go, we can take shelter in the trees," Angel called. Holding Buffy's hand tightly, he followed Spike into the trees.

After reaching a spot where the thick canopy of trees protected them from the majority of the rain, they stopped. Spike placed Cordelia gently on the ground. She was crying.

"We need to make like, a splint or something," Willow said. It was quieter here, so they were able to talk at a normal volume.

Giles came over, carrying two long pieces of wood. "We need something to tie it with," he said. Spike ripped a long strip off his T-shirt, and handed it to Giles.

"I'll help her as much as I can," Willow said, sitting down next to Cordelia. Tara sat on the other side and held the crying girl's hand.

Buffy, Angel, Xander, Anya, and Spike moved off to the side, while Giles stayed to help. "We really need to do something," Spike said quietly. "She needs a doctor."

Buffy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "We need a plan to get us off this stupid island."

"What about a signal?" Anya said. "Like a really big bonfire. Then maybe a plane would see us."

"It could also go wild and burn us all to death," Spike replied. "Maybe we can build a raft. Carpenter boy can help," he said, gesturing to Xander.

Xander shrugged. "I can try. Then maybe a few of us can go look for help."

Meanwhile, Willow had finished the splint. The rain was also slowing down, and the thunder had stopped. Giles walked over to where the others were huddled together.

"We should get back, start on a new shelter," he said tiredly. Buffy nodded.

"At least the rain's stopping," she said. Now there was only a small drizzle, and the sky was clearing.

The group began to move slowly back to the beach, Cordelia limping along on her good leg with the help of Spike. They reached the spot where their old shelter had stood. Buffy sighed.

"Buffy!" Dawn yelled. Buffy turned quickly, and saw Dawn and Connor emerging from the trees.

"Oh thank God," Buffy muttered, running to hug her sister. "I was so worried!"

"We found a cave and hid in it until the storm ended," Connor said, hugging his relieved father.

"H-hey, l-look!" Tara said, pointing to the sky. There was a beautiful rainbow stretching across the horizon.

Buffy smiled, arms around her sister. The storm was over, and at least they had each other.


	5. Chapter 5: Teamwork

Author's Notes: Here's chapter 5! Okay, you may notice that there is a new pairing. It is Spike/Cordelia. I know, a little wild. But I kind of like it, and it really works in the story. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. Thanks to Tara for helping me settle the Connor/Angel dilemma XD

Chapter 5: Teamwork

The next day, Buffy and Co were feeling pretty depressed. They had spent the night sleeping on the wet sand because no one had enough energy to start rebuilding the shelter. So then they had woken up this morning wet, dirty, and cranky, and had been sitting around for the last two hours arguing.

"You're the carpenter, why don't you bloody start!" Spike said from where he was lounging against a tree near Cordelia. Ever since the accident during the storm Spike had hardly left her side, and it didn't seem that Cordy minded that much. Her leg was doing okay; she couldn't stand up or move on her own, but the splint Willow had made seemed to be holding it together for the time being. But Buffy had a strong suspicion that the aspiring actress was in real pain and didn't want to admit it in front of Spike, whom she seemed quite fond of.

"Because I built the last shelter. Why don't you get up off your pale ass for a change?" Xander shot back.

"Whoa, chill out," Angel said nervously. "Arguing isn't helping. Why don't we all just get up and work together? Then it will go much faster."

Buffy stood up to support Angel. "That's a good idea." Connor, Dawn, and Giles also stood up.

Buffy stared at the others. "Come on guys. We need to work together."

Xander and Anya stood up grudgingly. Not to be outdone by Xander, Spike quickly joined them. Willow and Tara were off on a banana run, although they had been gone for a while, and Buffy had a strong suspicion that wasn't all they were doing. And Cordelia obviously couldn't help.

"All right, why don't you girls go get some materials for the roof, while we start on the frame," Xander said, switching into carpenter mode.

Dawn nodded, and headed off with Buffy and Anya. Meanwhile the guys started gathering logs for the base. Everyone was moving a little slow, but with a diet of bananas and coconuts for the past 3 days, how much could really be expected?

The three girls moved slowly through the woods, stopping to grab stuff that looked suitable for the shelter roof. "So Buffy, are you and Angel...like, you know," Dawn teased.

Buffy blushed. "Well so what if we are? You've been off 24/7 doing God knows what with his son."

Dawn squealed. "You are! That's so adorable. It's kind of romantic actually. 11 strangers stranded together, everyone falling in love..."

Buffy stopped. "Hold on a minute. Who said anything about love? We've only known each other for 72 hours!"

Dawn shrugged. "Whatever. But there's me and Connor, you and Angel, Willow and Tara-"

"Banana run my ass," Anya muttered.

"And now it looks like Spike and Cordy have a possible thing. Anya, what about you and Xander?" Dawn asked innocently.

Anya smiled slightly. "Well, he's sort of handsome. And the whole carpenter thing is very sexy. Let's hurry back in time to watch them get all sweaty," Anya said excitedly. Buffy and Dawn's thoughts immediately drifted to Angel and Connor dripping with sweat, and they began to move a little faster.

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well back at the beach. Just like the girls, the guys's conversation had switched to the romance on the island. It had all started when Spike had mentioned Connor's relationship with Dawn.

"So Connor, how's things with the little bit?" Spike asked. He smirked. "Had a little rendevous in the cave last night?"

Connor blushed. "That's none of your business."

Angel immediately stopped working and stared at his son, horrified. "Connor, you didn't! You've only known her for 72 hours! And my chances with Buffy will be gone if you get her sister pregnant out here!"

At that, Connor turned an even deeper shade of red. "Dad! We didn't. I would never. I respect Dawn," he said, glaring at Spike.

Angel relaxed slightly. "Good."

"What was that about your chances with Buffy? You know, I saw you guys sneak off to make out last night," Connor teased.

Now it was Angel's turn to blush. "Well at least we're not underage!" Spike chuckled. But it was actually bothering him quite a bit that Angel was with Buffy. He had come to like the girl, and it was no secret that she was beautiful. He glanced over at Cordelia. He would just have to settle for the next best thing. He smiled at her, and she waved back. Xander witnessed the little exchange and snorted.

"You really think you have a chance with her, Blondie?" Xander said to Spike.

Spike smirked. "More of a chance than you have with Miss Cannibals-are-Going-to-Eat-Us." Xander glared at Spike.

Giles raised an eyebrow, amused by the younger people. "Can we please continue this fine discussion later? We have a shelter to build."

Everyone reluctantly shut up, and got back to work. But they still continued to glare at each other when no one else was looking.

Willow giggled. "We really should get back now."

She and Tara were lying in the grass near the banana trees, kissing. Tara smiled. "Why? They probably don't even miss us." Willow noticed that the blonde girl didn't stutter when they were alone.

"Baby, I want to stay just as much as you do, but we don't want them to come looking for us." Willow stood up slowly.

Tara joined her reluctantly. "Okay." They began to gather some bananas. "I wonder if they started on the new shelter yet."

Willow laughed. "Knowing them, they're probably arguing again. It's kind of weird, you know. All of us being stranded out her together. Maybe it was destiny."

Tara smiled shyly. "It gave us the chance to get to know each other."

Willow grinned back. "And for that, I am grateful that we're trapped out here." Then they continued gathering bananas, enjoying each other's company.

When the girls got back to the beach, the shelter was coming along really well. The frame was mostly up, and the guys seemed to be getting along pretty well, which was a small miracle. "Looking good guys," Buffy said, admiring the sweat dripping off Angel's forehead.

"Almost done actually," Xander said, pounding one of the supports into the sand.

"We have the roof stuff," Dawn said, depositing her materials on the sand.

"Bananas, anyone?" Willow called. She and Tara were just arriving back.

Buffy frowned slightly. She turned to Dawn. "When we get home, I am never eating another banana ever again." Dawn nodded in agreement.

That night the group admired their new shelter. It was even better than the last one. Buffy felt a sense of pride. They had all come together to accomplish a lot in one day.

"Want to go for a walk?" Angel whispered in her ear.

Buffy smiled, remembering how their "walk" had been last night. She took his hand and they wandered off into the trees. Once they were hidden from the group, he kissed her passionately. She welcomed the kiss, enjoying the feel of his body so close to hers.

"Mmmmm..." she moaned softly. "This feels so good."

"I know," Angel muttered. They kissed some more.

"Having you here...it makes this whole shipwrecked thing not so bad," Buffy said, with a slight smile.

Angel smiled back. "I definitely agree." They sat down in the sand, still in each other's arms. It was a beautiful night, with a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean.

"You know, I realized that I don't know much about you," Buffy said.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "About as much as I know about you."

"Well let me tell you about me then. Then it's your turn," Buffy said. She paused a moment before beginning. "My name is Buffy Anne Summers. I'm 21 years old. I have a sister Dawn who is 16 and currently making out with your son." They both chuckled. "I attended Sunnydale High School for four years, in my lovely hometown which consists of not much more than one Starbucks and a movie theater. And a lot of cemeteries for some reason." She looked down slightly. " My dad walked out when we were little, and my mom died a year ago. So it's just been me and Dawn." She laughed. "I even resorted to flipping burgers at the Doublemeat Palace for a while just to make ends meet. But now I have a job at the high school as a counselor."

Angel smiled at her. "That sounds nice. Getting to help kids."

She smiled. "It is. And it's nice to be near Dawn. Although I'm sure she would tell you otherwise." She looked at him. "So tell me about yourself."

"Well, I was raised by my parents in LA. Until I was 18. Then they both died in a car accident."

Buffy looked at him, surprised. "I had no idea."

Angel nodded sadly. "After that I was pretty lost. I kind of wandered around for a while, staying with friends, working minimum wage jobs. Then everything changed one day when Connor walked in the door to the homeless shelter I was working at."

"He was 12 at the time. His biological parents were abusive, and he had run away to prevent himself from being put in foster care. I connected with him, and I tried to help him out. Let him stay with me, tried to take care of him. Eventually I decided to adopt him."

Buffy smiled. "That's so nice. I mean, I kind of figured out that he wasn't your son biologically, because you would have to be like, mid-thirties. How old are you, anyway?"

"24. After that, things got a lot better. We got a decent apartment, and I got a job working for a private investigator. His name was Wesley Windham Pryce. He was quite the man. But he died on the job 2 years after I started there. He left the business to me."

"Wow," Buffy said. "That definitely beats my life story."

Angel laughed. "If you were there, you would see it wasn't all that interesting."

Buffy paused. "Have you ever...been involved?"

Angel sighed. "Yes. When I was 18 I met a girl named Darla. We both thought it was love. She was all that held me down during the time after the accident when I was lost. But when I adopted Connor, she got jealous, and skipped town. Since then I've been single. Until now."

She grinned at him. "Same goes for me. I dated a guy named Riley during my first year of college. He was a TA, and we had some good times. But I never loved him. Eventually he figured that out and left, a few months before my mom died."

He pulled her close. "Maybe this can be a new beginning for both of us."

She relaxed against his shoulder. "Who knows. Maybe we can have it all. White picket fence, chubby little children, a dog."

He kissed the top of her head. "Let's get off this island first. I haven't found a white picket fence manufacturing company in the jungle yet." They stared at each other for a minute before cracking up.


	6. Chapter 6: Truth or Dare

Author's Notes: -laughs- This chapter was so much fun to write. I think this story will probably end up having 9 chapters. Also, someone mentioned my frequent updates, and I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that I am writing so much because it is the summer. In September I am starting my sophomore year at high school, and won't be able to update as frequently. So I am writing as much as I can now!

Dedication: To Tara, thanks sooo much for helping me out with the plot of this chapter and for supporting this story. -hugs-

Chapter 6: Truth or Dare

Two days later

Two days after they rebuilt the shelter things were pretty much the same on the island. Cordelia was still unable to move by herself, so she spent most of her time flirting with Spike, who flirted right back. Dawn and Connor relied on each other to keep themselves sane. Anya and Xander spent so much time arguing now that everyone was just waiting for the moment they would admit how much they wanted each other and start kissing. Willow and Tara were the quietest, they never complained about anything, but did spend a lot of time off on "banana runs." Buffy and Angel tried to keep everyone's spirits up and organize, always making sure the fire stayed lit and that they had enough bananas and coconuts. And Giles would just sit around, occasionally cleaning his glasses or scoffing at the behavior of the younger people.

Buffy and Angel were off in the bushes again, but this time they were not making out. They were actually having a serious conversation.

"Angel, I don't know how much more of this we can take. We've been here for 4 nights now, the 5th one coming up real soon, we are all exhausted and dirty, Cordelia has a broken leg, and if I see another banana I'm going to explode!" she hissed.

Angel shook his head. "I really thought that someone would come by now. I think it's time we took matters into our own hands. Maybe we should start working on a raft or something."

Buffy sighed. "I don't know what we should do. That does seem like our best course of action besides sitting around here on our butts, but we both know that whoever goes out there on a raft doesn't have very good odds of surviving. We don't know how far away we are from any human civilization," she said angrily.

Angel touched her face, trying to comfort her. "I know. But at this point it might be our only option. I have to wonder if they even have people looking for us anymore."

Buffy sighed, running her fingers through her wet hair. At least they had the ocean to wash off in, or else Angel would have never looked twice at her. "Maybe we should give it another day. Or two. Then if things look really dire we can build a raft."

Angel nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He paused to look out at the ocean. It was sunset. Another day had passed. It was actually a nice night, with a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. "Want to head back?"

Buffy nodded. They started back to find the others seated around the fire, watching the sun set. Buffy and Angel sat down next to Dawn and Connor, who were content in each other's arms. It would have been kind of romantic, if you ignored the other people staring at you.

"I know! We should play a game," Anya said.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like, truth or dare. Or Spin the Bottle!" Anya said excitedly.

"NO!" everyone yelled.

Anya looked slightly offended. "Well what about truth or dare? It's a little less naughty, but still promises fun."

Buffy shrugged. "I guess. It's not like we have anything better to do."

Anya clapped her hands excitedly. "This is going to be so much fun! Okay, I'll start." She turned to her left, where Xander was seated. "Xander. Truth or dare."

Xander considered his options for a moment. Normally he would have chosen dare without a second thought, but considering the person asking the question, he decided it was safer to go with truth. "Truth."

Anya looked him right in the eye. "How do you really feel about me? Because I've seen you staring at my breasts, and I don't know if it's some silly male thing or if you really have feelings for me."

The rest of the group widened their eyes. They had a feeling this was going to be an interesting game.

Xander gulped. "Well...I like you. I think you're pretty, and kind of charming in your own obnoxious way."

Anya beamed, taking that as a compliment. "Kiss me now."

Xander blinked, but obliged, causing a round of "awwws" from the other females and barfing noises from the males.

When they broke apart both looked much happier. "Your turn sweetie," Anya said to Xander.

He looked around the circle, considering his options. "Spike," he said, deciding to humiliate him as much as possible. "Truth or dare."

Spike smirked. "Dare."

Xander thought hard. He glanced around and his eyes lie to rest on the pile of coconuts and bananas. "I dare you to hit yourself in the head with a coconut."

Anya snorted. "That's all you could come up with?"

Spike smirked, pleased to have such a fairly simple dare. He picked up one of the coconuts and smashed it into his head. "Ow!" he yelped. It had hurt much more than he'd expected. The group howled with laughter. He felt himself blush deep red. He glanced at Cordelia, and she was laughing as well, although not as hard as some of the others. He sat down in the circle, while everyone mocked him.

"Gee Blondie, guess your head isn't as hard as we thought," Xander said with a smirk.

Spike glared at him. He turned towards Angel. "Angel. Truth or dare."

Angel glared back. Not willing to completely humiliate himself, he went with the safer option. "Truth."

Spike was slightly disappointed, but didn't give up. He thought for a few minutes before replying. "So we're all stranded on this bloody island, right? If you could choose to not be here, and to have never met Buffy, would you, or would you prefer being stuck here with her and this lot?"

Angel blinked. He hadn't been expecting such a deep question. Buffy was staring at him, eager to hear his answer herself. "Well that's easy. I would choose not to be here, because I believe that when two people are meant to be together they will find a way to each other. Even if we never got on that boat I know that we would be together."

Buffy felt tears in her eyes. "Angel, that's beautiful." She kissed him softly. Spike was very disappointed. He would have to think harder next time.

When he was done kissing Buffy, Angel turned to Dawn. "Dawn, truth or dare."

"Truth," Dawn said simply.

"What are your feelings towards my son?" Angel commanded. Connor glared at him.

Dawn smiled. "I really like him. I think he is the sweetest guy I have ever met. And...I think I'm falling in love with him," she added softly. Buffy and Angel stared at each other in horror while Dawn and Connor kissed.

Dawn beamed at Connor. "Connor, truth or dare."

"Truth."

"How about the same question Angel asked me?" she said softly, anticipating his answer.

"The answer is the same too. I am falling in love with you, Dawn Summers," he said. There were some more "awwwws" heard as Buffy and Angel continued to look on in horror.

Connor looked around the circle. "Tara. Truth or dare."

"T-truth," she said nervously.

He grinned evilly. "What do you and Willow really do on your so called 'banana runs'?"

Tara and Willow both blushed. "S-s-stuff," she squeaked.

"Aha! I knew you guys weren't really getting bananas," Xander accused.

"Xander, shut up. I think it's sweet," Dawn said, happily snuggled in Connor's arms.

Tara smiled shyly at her. "T-thanks D-Dawn." She fidgeted nervously. "U-unless you guys r-really want d-details, can we m-move on?" she said, as confidently as she could muster. Everyone laughed. Relaxed, she glanced around the circle to choose her victim. "Giles. T-truth or dare."

Giles smiled, happy to be included. "Dare." Everyone was slightly surprised.

Tara thought. She didn't want to make him do anything mean. "D-drink the seawater," she said quietly.

Spike laughed. "Is that really the best you can do? Come on now."

"No, that's quite alright," Giles said, standing. He was secretly relieved to receive such an easy dare. He walked the short distance to the water's edge and swallowed a mouthful. The taste was unpleasant, but it was fairly easy. He rejoined the circle to applause.

"Buffy. Truth or dare," he said.

She thought for a moment. "Truth."

He thought. He had never played this game before, and didn't really know what to ask. "If you were able to vote one person off this island, who would it be?"

Buffy blinked. Great, a question that was impossible to answer without hurting someone's feelings. She thought about the best way to handle this. Then she thought of the perfect answer. "Cordelia, so she could get medical attention," she said. No one could really argue with that. "So, Cordy, truth or dare."

"Truth," Cordelia said.

Buffy grinned. "What are your feelings towards Spike?"

Cordelia smiled at him. "I think he's a great guy. And he's been totally nice helping me out. And he's pretty hot," she added. Spike was enjoying this. He sat back, looking very smug.

"Okay Willow, truth or dare," Cordy said, still making googly eyes at Spike.

"Truth," Willow said. She always picked truth.

"What do you think our odds are of ever getting off this island?" Cordy asked. "Please answer honestly, or it defeats the purpose."

Buffy groaned silently. She just hoped that Willow's answer didn't scare Dawn, who was still hopeful of a rescue.

Willow's eyes widened. "Well, I'm sure that someone will find us...eventually."

"What do you mean, eventually?" Dawn demanded.

"Well I'm sure that someday soon someone will find us, and then we'll go home to our warm beds and eat lots of chocolate," she said hopefully. There was a brief silence as everyone fantasized about doing just that. But her answer had struck a nerve with nearly everyone there, as they were now forced to think about the possibility of spending more time here. Maybe even a lot more.

"Okay, Anya, you're the last one. Truth or dare?" Willow asked, trying to break the silence.

"Dare," Anya said, grinning widely. The dares were so much more fun.

Willow thought. She didn't really like Anya, and this was the perfect opportunity to make her do something totally humiliating. The best part was, Anya wouldn't find _anything_ embarrassing. "I dare you to go skinny dipping in the ocean," Willow said, trying not to laugh. Some people gasped, and Xander's eyes widened.

Anya stood up, still grinning. "I've always wanted to do that!" Everyone shrieked as she stripped off her clothes right there. Willow and Tara giggled like mad, Xander sat there completely frozen, Spike smirked, Cordelia frowned, Giles shook his head and cleaned his glasses, and Dawn and Angel accidentally slapped each other when they both moved to cover Connor's eyes. When she was standing there completely naked, she ran right through the circle down to the ocean and jumped in. By this point everyone was howling with laughter. A moment later she came back, shaking the water off. "It's chilly in there!" she said. She made her way back to her spot and put her clothes back on, still smiling happily, obviously thinking nothing of what had just happened.

"Well that was a blast, but I'm gonna turn in," Buffy said, standing up. Soon everyone joined her in the new shelter. Everyone settled down and soon there was silence. Another day on the island had passed.


	7. Chapter 7: Unforseen Circumstances

Author's Notes: Here's chapter 7! Only two chapters to go after this. Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! -hugs-

Chapter 7: Unforseen Circumstances

It was on the morning of the sixth day that it happened.

It started out just like the previous five days. Everyone was just going about their business as usual. Angel and Buffy were putting more fuel in the fire, Dawn and Connor were snuggling, Spike was flirting with Cordy, Anya was arguing with Xander about something, Giles was sitting there looking weary, and Willow and Tara were handing out bananas. Then the noise started. It was a loud sort of humming noise. Everyone looked up, curious.

"Oh my God, it's a plane!" Buffy yelled. Sure enough there was a large commercial jet flying right over the island. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing. "Quick, everyone run around or something!"

Everyone started running for the open beach, save for Cordy, waving their arms around and yelling. Angel even stuck a stick in the fire and waved it back and forth like a torch. "HELP!" everyone screamed. But they could only watch in horror as the plane sailed right past the island and faded off into the distance. The island inhabitants just stood there in dead silence for a few minutes after that.

"DAMMIT!" Anya screamed. "We're never gonna get off this FREAKING island!"

Dawn burst into tears. Connor ran to comfort her. Buffy closed her eyes. The others just sort of stood there.

"We weren't ready," Buffy said.

Angel rubbed her back. "It's not your fault. That's the first plane we've seen all week. There was no way we could have known."

Up in the air, the pilot of the plane was frowning. He could have sworn he had seen something as they had passed that small island. It was a flash of light, like a fire. His mind drifted to the newscast he had seen about the group of people who were missing after a boating accident. He picked up his radio.

"This is number 501 to air traffic control," he said. "I just passed a small island at these coordinates," he said, reading them off. "And I saw possible signs of life. Maybe it's the survivors of that boating accident about a week back."

"I'll send the report," came the static reply. The pilot smiled to himself. It would be pretty cool if he ended up saving some lives.

The mood was very somber back at the island that day. Their first chance of rescue had passed them by, and it was quite depressing. It was a very somber afternoon. Buffy and Angel had snuck away again.

"Dawn had a total meltdown after that plane left today," Buffy said. "I'm really worried about her."

Angel pulled her close. "She has Connor. She'll be okay."

"I hope so." Buffy smiled at him. "Maybe if you kiss me, I'll feel better."

Angel smiled back. "Happy to oblige." He kissed her passionately. The kiss soon became a full fledged make out session, and before they knew what was happening Buffy was flat on her back in the sand with Angel on top of her.

"This feels so right," Buffy moaned. Angel wrapped his hands around her, moving one hand up the back of her tank top. Suddenly Buffy pulled away, somewhat reluctantly.

"Oh Angel, we can't," she said sadly.

He frowned. "Did I do something wrong? I thought you were-"

"No, it's not you. And it's not me. I want to. I really want to, more than anything. But we don't have any protection. And it would be really irresponsible of us to just have unprotected sex, what kind of example would we set for Dawn and Connor?" she rambled.

Angel closed his eyes. "You're right. I just didn't realize." They sat there in silence for a moment. "God, I want you so badly and I don't know how much longer I can take it."

Buffy inched closer to him. "I know. But I promise, as soon as we get home, we will have the most romantic evening you can possibly imagine." She kissed him softly. He smiled.

"I like the sound of that." They continued to kiss, but were interrupted when Dawn came running through the trees.

"Buffy! Angel. Come quick, it's Tara."

They jumped up and followed Dawn back to the beach at a run. When they got there they were shocked to see Xander and Spike carrying the blonde, who appeared to have collapsed. They placed her in the shelter, while Willow talked frantically.

"I don't know what happened, she just collapsed!" Willow said, tears in her eyes. "Tara baby, can you hear me?" Tara seemed to be only half-conscious, and her eyes were closed. She moaned lightly.

Spike turned to Buffy. For the first time since they had been out here, he looked truly afraid. "What should we do?" he asked her quietly. It had gotten to the point where everyone considered Buffy the leader.

"I don't know. Does she have a fever? Has she been drinking enough? Maybe she's dehydrated," Buffy said, trying to come up with an explanation.

"She's been drinking just as much as the rest of us!" Willow said, looking very panicked.

Xander felt Tara's forehead. "She's burning up."

Buffy took a deep breath. "Dawn, get some water." Dawn nodded and ran to the ocean. Buffy looked at Giles. "Giles, what could have done this to her?"

The older man was rubbing his forehead. "I haven't the slightest idea. If it were a virus, she would have come down with it before now, she surely didn't catch anything out here. And Willow says she's been drinking enough...." he was deep in thought. "Maybe perhaps an infection of some kind?"

Buffy frowned. "You mean, like a bug bite gone bad?"

Giles stared at her. "That could be."

Buffy moved closer to Tara. "Willow, help me check for any kind of bite or infection," she said, beginning to scan Tara's legs. She was sweating now, and still mumbling incoherently.

"Buffy..." Willow held up Tara's limp arm, to reveal a purple, swollen bite. Buffy's eyes widened.

"That looks like a spider bite," Giles said.

Willow was crying now. "But wouldn't she have known if she got bit by something?"

"Victims often don't realize until the effects become noticeable. It's even possible it occurred while she was sleeping," Giles said. "We need to clean the wound. It should help relieve some of the pain."

Dawn returned carrying some ocean water in an empty coconut shell. "Here," Angel said, ripping off a piece of his shirt. Buffy soaked the cloth in the water and applied it to the bite. Tara screamed loudly.

"Shhh, baby it's okay," Willow said, rubbing her girlfriend's forehead. "We're going to take care of you."

"She should probably drink some water, perhaps if it is an infection it can help to flush it out," Giles said, thinking hard.

"H-hurts..." Tara moaned, rubbing her stomach.

Willow glanced at Buffy. "She says she has a stomachache."

Buffy touched Willow's shoulder. "We'll do everything we can. I won't let anything happen to her." But she even doubted her own words. Tara needed medical attention. The spider bite appeared to be highly infected, and she was afraid that if they didn't get help soon...

Angel pulled Buffy aside while Willow tried to prop Tara up so she could drink some water Xander had brought. "Now might be a good time to get to work on that raft idea," he whispered.

Buffy nodded. "We need to do something. Get Spike and Xander, they can help." She felt so incredibly overwhelmed right now. The worst part was that everyone considered her the leader, and she would feel responsible if something happened to Tara. What scared her the most was that it could have been any one of them that got bitten. That thought made her eyes grow wide. She ran back to the others. "You guys, we all need to check ourselves for spider bites. We all sleep in the same area," she said.

Dawn looked alarmed. Buffy ran to her, and began scanning her exposed skin. To her relief, she found nothing. "You're fine," she said, hugging her sister. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Angel talking to Spike and Xander in hushed tones. _It's going to be okay. We'll build a raft and Angel and I will go for help. _But she doubted herself even more with each passing moment.

The guard on duty at the Sunnydale Water Search and Rescue headquarters answered the phone wearily. The past few days had really sucked. The whole team had been working long hours looking for survivors of the boat that sunk 6 days ago. Yesterday the mission had been officially changed from rescue to recovery, and they had been up all night listening to phone calls from frantic, angry friends and relatives of the missing passengers. So far the bodies of Riley Finn and Kennedy Limon had turned up, along with all of the crew and the radio station reps. But eleven winners were still unaccounted for. They had scoured the area and found nothing. Everyone pretty much agreed that they couldn't still be alive. "Hello?" he said wearily.

"This is Jim from Air Traffic Control. One of my pilots reported possible signs of life at these coordinates." He read them off, and the guard checked the computer screen.

"That's a good ways from the site of the accident, it's highly unlikely that it's our missing winners," he said.

"Well, he seemed convinced. Can you send someone out to the area just to check?"

The guard sighed. "What can it hurt? All my pilots are out right now, but when one comes back I'll send him out to the area." He shook his head. It seemed like a lost cause, but after 6 long days of searching, what difference did one more area make?


	8. Chapter 8: Time For Action

Author's Note: Second to last chapter! Final chapter coming very soon! Please R&R!

Chapter 8: Time For Action

It was afternoon by this point. Buffy knew that if they were going to go for help they had to get started on a raft like, now. She marched over to where Angel was talking to Spike and Xander. "We need to tell everyone our plan," Buffy said.

"First we need to decide who's going. I was thinking maybe Spike and I," Angel said.

Buffy frowned. "No. You and I have to go."

Angel sighed. "Buffy, there is no way I'm letting you risk your life out there."

"Well it wouldn't be very smart to send our two strongest guys out, would it? One of you needs to stay here to take care of things if...if we don't come back."

"Buffy, what about Dawn?" Angel asked.

"She has Connor. Angel, you should know me well enough by now to know that when I set my mind to something no one can talk me out of it. And if we die out there, at least we'll be together and the others will have a chance of survival."

There was a moment of silence. Spike and Xander felt very uncomfortable, as if they were intruding on a private conversation.

Angel finally gave in. "Okay."

Buffy smiled and squeezed his hand. "I knew you'd understand." She turned and walked back towards the shelter, where everyone else was tending to Tara. "Everybody listen up." The group stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Buffy.

"We have come up with a plan. We are going to build a raft, and Angel and I are going for help," Buffy said, looking at everyone but Dawn.

"Buffy, no!" Dawn gasped.

"Dad..." Connor said, sounding unsure.

"Look, it's our only chance. Tara needs a doctor. And if we don't get out of here, any one of us could be next. Anyone want to try and stop us?" Buffy said imperiously. There was dead silence.

"Anyone that wants to help with the raft can come. The rest of you stay here with Tara." Buffy turned and walked away with Angel, Spike, and Xander. However, no one followed them.

"You think this will hold?" Buffy asked Xander as she tied some logs together with vine.

"We'll have to test it out. But I think it should," Xander said.

"I found something that can be used for paddles," Angel said, holding up two long, flat pieces of wood.

Buffy smiled. "Good."

"Do you really think you'll be able to find help?" Spike asked seriously.

Buffy looked down. "I don't know. But we have to try." There was a brief silence.

"She's going to die, isn't she?" Xander asked quietly.

Buffy sighed. "If she doesn't get to a hospital, I think so."

"This is our only option," Angel said. He looked at the raft, which was coming together pretty well. "If we hurry, we can leave while it's still light out."

Back at the shelter, Tara's condition was only getting worse. She was sweating like crazy, and when they tried to make her drink she only vomited it back up a few minutes later.

"It's okay baby," Willow said, trying to sound confident. But she was no idiot. She knew that if Tara didn't get to a hospital soon, they would lose her. _Come on Buffy,_ she thought.

Giles stared at the sick girl. He had already used all the medical knowledge he possessed, and the situation was quite clearly out of their hands. He just prayed that they finished that raft soon.

"I wanna go home," Cordelia said quietly. Anya was sitting beside her under the tree where Cordelia had spent the better part of the last few days.

"Tell me about it," Anya said. "They're going to die out there on that raft in the middle of nowhere, and then we'll be stuck here without a leader and Tara will die," she rambled.

"Spike could be our leader," Cordy said with a small smile.

Anya laughed. "You've really got it bad for him, don't you?" Cordelia just smiled.

Meanwhile Dawn and Connor had moved off to the side and were in the middle of a heated discussion. "Connor, you don't understand. Buffy is the only family I have left. I can't lose her!" Dawn hissed.

"And you think I have someone besides Angel?" Connor snapped. "Look, this is hard for me too. But they are only trying to save a life."

Dawn felt tears in her eyes. She cared about Tara, she really did. But she was very afraid of what might happen to her sister out there on some flimsy little raft.

"Come here," Connor said, pulling Dawn close. "You have me. You will always have me."

About two hours later the raft was finished. Buffy, Angel, Spike and Xander lugged it to the shore and tossed it in the water. To everyone's relief, it floated.

"We should test it out," Buffy said. Angel helped her climb onto the raft, and he followed suit. "Seems sturdy enough."

Xander nodded. He was trying to hide his apprehension of this whole plan, because he did understand that it was in everyone's best interest.

"You should get some supplies, some bananas and stuff," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. They dragged the raft onto the beach, leaving it at a safe distance from the water. They had already learned _that_ lesson the hard way. They headed back to join the group.

Willow was wetting Tara's forehead with the cloth. She had finally fallen into a restless sleep, but her pulse was really high. Willow knew that she didn't have much time left.

"I'll gather some food," Angel said. "We should really go as soon as possible." Buffy nodded. She headed over to Dawn and Connor.

Dawn shook her head vehemently. "No. I am not saying goodbye to you."

Buffy felt so sad seeing her sister this upset. "You don't have to." She gave her little sister a quick hug. Then she turned to Connor. "Take care of her." He nodded.

Buffy squeezed her sister's hand and headed over to the others. "We're gonna head out now." She touched Willow's shoulder. "She's going to be okay." Willow nodded, unconvinced.

"Buffy, do be careful," Giles said, very concerned. Buffy smiled.

"We will." She turned to see Angel saying goodbye to Connor. He had left a small pile of bananas and coconuts wrapped in his T-shirt. Buffy gulped, realizing he was half naked. At least she had motivation to get back to land.

A moment later everyone except Willow, Tara, and Cordelia gathered by the water. "Hang in there guys," Buffy said.

Dawn stepped forward and started to speak, but then stopped, making a funny face. "What's that noise?"

In the air Charles Gunn was flying the small search and rescue helicopter towards the small island. He highly doubted there would be anything there, but his supervisor had said the pilot who called it in seemed pretty confident. It was a tragedy, that boat accident, but usually when this much time had passed odds were very slim of finding survivors. He descended so that he was only about 30 feet above the water, and the island and surrounding water came into clear view. His eyes widened as he saw distinct human forms standing at the edge of the small island/ He swore loudly. "Well I'll be damned."

Buffy turned in the direction of the noise. She heard it too, it was a faint...humming. She gasped as a helicopter came into sight, flying very low. "It's a helicopter!" she yelled. It was coming closer, and getting lower by the minute. "Oh my God!" She began to wave her arms and yell. Soon everyone else joined her.

"HEEEEEELP!" Dawn shrieked. They must have looked pretty silly, running around like crazy and screaming.

Buffy nearly jumped a mile when the helicopter hovered in the air practically right in front of them. The second shock came when a voice sounded from inside.

"This is a search plane!" boomed the voice. Instantly everyone fell silent, gaping at the helicopter, expressions a combination of disbelief and pure joy.

"We're saved," Dawn whispered.


	9. Chapter 9: Saved

Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine.

Author's Note: Wow, this is it! I had a great time writing this fanfic, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. I want to thank everyone who supported this fanfic, and took time to review: Freezyboncoolipants, Slayer87, Out-Of-Reality, Emberlynn aka BAanna9, Spike'sRedQueen, cherrygurl1225, Eileen, mz. sarJe, GretchenGG, Jimmy Wilder, angel2db, PomegranateQueen, mistymidnight, Kim from Unnatural Brats, Kitty, and of course Tara, who supported this fanfic from the very beginning and often helped me out with the plot. I love you all! Many sincere thanks. And no, there will not be a sequel to this, sorry! Enjoy the final chapter and epilogue. 3 Erin

Chapter 9: Saved

"Please clear the beach, I'm coming in for landing," Charles Gunn said into his megaphone.

Meanwhile, the stranded castaways were beside themselves with joy. Buffy had leapt into Angel's arms, and was crying. Dawn and Connor were spinning around and letting out whoops of joy. Spike had run back to Cordelia, who was gaping at the helicopter. Xander and Anya were making out, and Giles was just grinning.

When Willow turned around and saw the helicopter, she pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. When it hurt, she had started to cry. "It's okay baby, we're saved!" she said, sobbing.

Everyone ran off to the side, still celebrating. The helicopter landed softly on the beach. The pilot climbed out. He was instantly mobbed by 7 of the 11 castaways, who all tried to hug him at once.

"I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Buffy said happily.

Gunn managed to pull away after a minute or so. "Are you the guys from the boat that sunk 6 days back? The radio station winners?"

"That would be us," Xander said, arms tightly around Anya.

"Wow, we thought you were all dead. But then a pilot called in, said he thought he saw something out here. So I came to check it out, and here you are," he said. "Is everyone okay?"

Buffy came tumbling back to reality with a jolt. "No. Tara, she has a spider bite. It's bad. And Cordelia has a broken leg."

Gunn picked up his walkie talkie and waited for a signal. "Yo, I found them. All eleven of them. Send more rescue teams right away, we also need a doctor and medical supplies."

"And chocolate!" Anya said hopefully.

"And some real food." He finished the transmission and turned back to the group. "Help is on the way." Everyone screamed some more.

Gunn laughed. "I can't believe y'all have been livin out here," he said, looking around.

"Let us give you the grand tour," Xander said, heading towards the shelter. "Welcome to our humble abode, constructed by yours truly." Spike cleared his throat loudly. "Oh, and them too."

"And back there is the banana tree," Dawn said, pointing into the trees.

Gunn shook his head. "Wow."

"We were just about to go for help when you came. We built a raft. We knew that Tara needed a doctor," Buffy said.

Gunn nodded. "I told them to motor, so they should be here in a few minutes.

"Everyone, get your shoes and stuff! We're going home!" Buffy yelled. Everyone scattered, gathering their few belongings.

A few minutes later 3 more helicopters came into view. One of them was a medical chopper. They landed on the beach as well, and several more guys came out, one of them rolling a stretcher.

"Where is the girl with the spider bite?" shouted the one who looked like a doctor.

"In the shelter," Buffy said, shouting over the din of the running helicopters. The doctor rolled the stretcher across the sand to the shelter, where he began to examine Tara.

"Anyone else injured?" asked a second man.

"Yeah, Cordelia has a broken leg," Buffy said, pointing to where she sat with Spike. He nodded and hurried over.

The pilots of the other two choppers came over, grinning broadly. "We had just about given up on you guys!" joked one. Everyone laughed.

"Us too," Giles said wryly.

"Well you guys can start getting in the choppers, we can take three in each, and the two injured girls will go in the MediVac. You'll also find some food waiting for you inside." There were some more cheers. "Once we land you will all have to be examined at a hospital. You've been in some pretty unbelievable conditions." Everyone nodded. Then they ran for the helicopters without another word. Normally there would have been a fight over who was riding together, but everyone was so eager to get home that they just jumped in the nearest one. Buffy and Angel went together, as did Dawn and Connor, and Xander, Anya, and Giles.

"She's stabilized for now. That shot should stop the infection from spreading any further. But she needs to get to the hospital. Go jump in one of the other helicopters, she'll be safe with me." The doctor smiled at Willow. Willow was reluctant to leave Tara, but joined Dawn and Connor in their helicopter. The doctor loaded the stretcher with Tara on it into the chopper, and then helped Spike and his assistant with Cordelia.

"Take care, love," Spike said, squeezing her hand. He headed for the other choppers, and was dismayed to see that the only vacancy was in Buffy and Angel's helicopter. "Sorry to intrude on the lovebirds," Spike said, boarding. He sat down and fastened his seatbelt. A minute later Gunn came on board, closing the door behind him.

"There's food in that compartment under the seat," he said, before sitting down and adjusting his controls. He watched as the Medivac carrying the two injured girls took off for land. Then he followed, lifting the chopper into the air.

"Goodbye island," Buffy said, getting one last glance at the place that had been their home for the last 6 days.

"And good bloody riddance," Spike added bitterly.

Inside the Medivac, the doctor had Tara stabilized, and had moved on to Cordelia's leg. "This splint seems to have been quite effective. No permanent damage should occur," he said.

"Well that's good. Look, when do you think I'll be able to walk again? Because I am an actress, and I need to audition," Cordelia said impatiently.

Dawn and Connor were safe in each other's arms as they flew back home. Willow was nervous and kind of jumpy since leaving Tara.

"Willow, she's going to be fine. They're taking great care of her," Dawn reassured. Willow nodded slightly.

"I'm just so thankful they found us when they did," Willow said quietly. "Any longer and I might have lost her."

Connor looked in the compartment where the pilot said there was food. He wrinkled his nose. It wasn't much. It was mostly canned food. "I think I'll just wait till we get home to eat," he said.

Dawn smiled dreamily. "I can't wait to get my hands on a candy bar. Or a cake."

"Anything but bananas," Connor said. They all laughed.

"Are we there yet?" Anya complained.

"Not yet, sweetie," Xander said.

"We must be getting close though," Giles said. "I can see birds again."

"I wonder if we'll be famous. Maybe they'll make one of those Lifetime Movies about our story. Someone really famous and pretty can play me," Anya mused.

Xander smiled and rubbed her shoulders. "Maybe." She was strange, and a bit tactless, but he had actually became very fond of her, and hoped they would remain close when they got home.

Angel and Buffy were snuggling in their helicopter, while Spike made faces at them. "I seem to remember a little promise we made each other earlier," Buffy whispered seductively.

Angel grinned. "Oh, I didn't forget. You know what I can't wait to do?" He whispered something in Buffy's ear, causing her to blush and giggle.

"You two make me want to heave," Spike said.

"We're almost home," Gunn called from the cockpit. "We're flying straight to the hospital so you guys can get checked out. Then you should be free to go do whatever. Let's just hope we beat the reporters."

A few minutes later they were flying over land. Buffy had never been so glad to see Sunnydale before. As they approached the roof of the hospital, where the Medivac was already landing, they realized that they had definitely not beat the reporters. "Damn," Gunn said. "You guys are quite the celebrities."

There seemed to be a reporter from every major news station and paper in Sunnydale. As the doctors rolled Cordelia and Tara indoors, they ran after them, videotaping and shouting loud questions that Buffy couldn't quite make out. Gunn landed their helicopter next, and turned around to look at them. "You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to. Just stick with me, I'll get you inside." They nodded.

He opened the door of the helicopter and they stepped out, Angel holding on to Buffy tightly. Immediately the reporters were sticking microphones in their faces.

"Excuse me, how does it feel to be home?" one man asked Buffy. He had a video camera from the local news station.

"It feels great," Buffy said honestly. She reached up and touched her hair with a grimace. Of course, the one time she was on TV she looked like crap.

"How was life on the island?" another demanded of Angel.

"Swell," he said, moving quickly through the throng. Thankfully the second helicopter was landing behind them, and some of the reporters ran to get a shot of Dawn, Connor, and Willow.

"Are you upset that the local search and rescue squads did not find you sooner?" one shot at Spike.

He just frowned. "Bugger off."

They reached the door and ran inside, Gunn slamming the door behind them. "Gee, I wonder what'll be the top story on the 6 o clock news," he commented.

They were joined a moment later by Dawn, Connor, and a very frazzled looking Willow. "Where's Tara?" she demanded.

"They just took her through a few minutes ago," Buffy replied.

Once Anya, Xander, and Giles had joined them, they went downstairs to the emergency room. "It's procedure for you all to get checked out," Gunn said. "Thankfully, the reporters aren't allowed inside the hospital."

Once they reached the emergency room, Willow and Spike ran to the nurse on duty to inquire about their significant others. A few other nurses and doctors approached the rest of the group.

"Welcome home," one said kindly. "If you will all kindly come with us, we need to examine you. You all look remarkably well, considering your ordeal."

The couples separated as the doctors led them into cubicles. Overall, everyone was okay. No one was even dehydrated, which was kind of a miracle. The doctors said that with a healthy meal and a good night's sleep they should be good as new.

When Buffy rejoined the others in the waiting room, she found the nurse giving them the latest news on Cordy and Tara. "Miss Chase appears to be fine, the doctors are giving her a proper cast now. She should be able to be released tonight."

"What about Tara?" Willow asked frantically. "Can I see her?"

"Miss Maclay has been stabilized and should make a full recovery. The doctors are moving her to a room now. She'll need to stay here a few days until the infection is gone," the nurse said. Willow let out a sigh of relief. "Once she is settled in her room you can see her. But I recommend that you all go grab a bite to eat."

Everyone nodded. "That sounds great," Buffy said. "Thank you."

A minute later a doctor escorted Cordelia to the waiting room. She was using crutches, and looking much better. "Miss Chase is free to go now. The splint was very effective," the doctor said. Willow smiled with pride.

"What do you say we all go to Mickey D's and pig out?" Dawn said. Everyone agreed. Willow was reluctant to go, but decided to just come right back to visit Tara after.

They headed outside, and made a mad dash across the street before the reporters could catch up. Spike carried Cordelia. They burst in the doors of McDonalds and got in line. "Hey, you were just on the news! You're the kids that were stranded on that island!" the checkout girl exclaimed. Everyone's heads turned, and the other employees came out from the back to gawk.

"Whatever you want, it's on the house," the manager said.

"Awesome!" Connor exclaimed. After ordering more food than they could carry, they headed for a table. Angel grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her back.

"After we eat, how bout we go make good on that promise," he whispered.

Buffy grinned. "Oh yeah. But what about Dawn and Connor?"

"They can stay at my place, and we'll go to yours," Angel suggested. "I don't think we need to worry about them."

"Okay." Normally Buffy wouldn't have agreed to leaving her sister alone with her boyfriend, but she couldn't wait any longer to be with Angel.

"Oh, my God," Cordelia said, diving into a jumbo french fries. "Food!"

They sat there eating for well over an hour. They asked the manager to lock the door, so they could only wave happily to the flock of reporters standing outside filming them as they pigged out. "Just what I always wanted. A shot of me stuffing my face with chicken nuggets all over the news," Dawn said.

When everyone else was distracted by conversation, Buffy and Angel pulled Dawn and Connor aside. "Connor, Dawn's going to go back to our place with you. We'll take a taxi over to get the car, then I'll take you home. Buffy and I just want to be alone at her place," Angel said quickly.

The two teens smiled knowingly. "Ooh, okay." Buffy and Angel both blushed.

They returned to the table where the others were cleaning up. "We're gonna head home. We'll come back tomorrow to see Tara," Buffy said. Everyone stood up to hug and exchange phone numbers. They had all become really close over the past 6 days. Buffy knew that no matter what happened now, they would all be friends for life.

As the four of them left the restaurant and began running past the reporters, Anya made a comment. "Guess they just can't wait to have sex," she said. Spike choked on a french fry, causing Cordy to glare at him. Giles just sighed. They were all used to Anya's tact, or lack thereof, by now.

Once outside and past the reporters, Buffy whispered to Angel. "I'm just gonna get a taxi home. I wanna freshen up," she said. Angel smiled and nodded.

"Dawn, I'll come get you tomorrow morning." She kissed her sister on the cheek.

"Have fun," Dawn said with a smirk. Buffy kissed Angel one more time before running to get a cab, while the others continued on to the parking lot where they had left their cars 6 days ago.

An hour later Angel opened the door to Buffy's house, armed with his purchase from the drug store. He grinned when he saw a trail of rose petals leading upstairs. He followed them to find Buffy in the bedroom, wearing a sexy negligee. "Why hello," she said seductively.

He walked towards her. "Finally." They kissed passionately, falling back onto the bed.

"No more waiting," Buffy said with a smile. Then they proceeded to lose themselves in each other.

Epilogue

5 years later

"Tonight we have a very special edition of Dateline NBC," Katie Couric said into the televison camera. "Tonight we join the eleven survivors of the boating accident that left them stranded on a deserted island for nearly a week five years ago today." She turned to the eleven "castaways," who were seated in a row. "Their lives were changed forever, and now they are here to give us an update."

She looked at Willow and Tara who were seated on the end. "Tara Maclay, you were hospitalized for a week after the rescue recovering from the effects of a spider bite. What do you have to say about the experience?"

"I am just thankful t-that I met Willow," Tara said fondly. "While I was s-sick on the island she took care of me, and we have been t-together ever since."

"Willow Rosenberg, how has life changed for you since your return?" Katie asked.

"It has been amazing. We both graduated from college, and we're living together here in Sunnydale. We're just really happy. I still think about that island all the time though," Willow admitted.

"Do the rest of you still have thoughts about the island?" Katie asked the group.

"Oh, yes. I had a dream the other night that we were still there," Cordelia said dramatically. "It was terrible."

Katie smiled. "Cordelia Chase, you have probably experienced the most success since your return. Your acting career took off after, correct?"

Cordelia smiled the million dollar smile that could now be seen on magazine covers everywhere. "Yes. The accident was great publicity for me. My new film, in which I play the girlfriend of Johnny Depp, comes out next week," she said, grinning at the camera.

"Spike, I understand that you and Miss Chase were an item while on the island. What happened to the relationship?"

Spike glared at his ex. "She ran off to star in movies and got all big-headed, that's what bloody happened."

Cordelia glared back. "For your information, I happen to be dating Joaquin Phoenix ever since we starred together in _Last Minute Bride._ And we are happier than you and I ever dreamed of being."

Katie cleared her throat. "Rupert Giles, you were the oldest person on the island. Did you ever feel isolated?"

"Well we all had to work together to survive, so no, not really," Giles said pleasantly.

"And since, you have gone on to host your own show on the Discovery Channel about survivors of boating accidents," Katie said.

"Yes. It has been most rewarding. But I still keep in touch with everyone, we're all good friends."

Katie nodded and turned to Anya and Xander. "Anya Jenkins, are you and Xander Harris still together?"

Anya beamed at the camera. "Yes. We are engaged too. See?" She held out her hand and flashed her ring to the camera.

"Congratulations to both of you. Xander, have you set a date yet?"

"No, we're taking our time. We learned that life is very special since we were stranded, so we're taking our time. We don't want to rush into anything," he said.

"But if anyone from a big designer company is watching this, yes, I would love to have you design my gown free of charge," Anya said to the camera, flashing a big smile.

"Dawn and Connor, you were the youngest people on the island. What did you think of the experience?"

"Well, it was rough, but I had my sister Buffy and I met Connor there, which I will always be thankful for," Dawn said, beaming at Connor. "I graduated high school, and I'm attending UC Sunnydale. We have an apartment together, and couldn't be happier."

"Yeah, it's been really great. But I haven't eaten another banana since we got back," Connor added. At the mention of the dreaded fruit, everyone groaned.

Katie laughed. "So I see that there will always be lasting effects from your stay on the island." She turned to Buffy. "Buffy Summers, everyone here agrees that you took a leadership position on the island."

"Well, I suppose I did. I just knew that if we were going to survive, someone had to," she said.

"And you married Angel 6 months after your return. Congratulations," Katie said.

Buffy and Angel beamed at each other. "Yes. And we are expecting our first child in two months," Buffy said, placing a hand on her growing stomach.

"That's wonderful. Angel, looking back today, how do you feel about the events of five years ago?"

"Well I thank God every day for bringing Buffy and I together. And we've all remained really close. I think that in the end we came out ahead," Angel commented.

"Have any of you been out on a boat since the accident?" Everyone shook their heads vehemently.

"Too many bad memories," Willow said. "We were the lucky ones, people died that day."

"Yeah, we are definitely lucky," Angel said, smiling at his wife.

Katie turned back to the camera. "So it seems that one experience can truly change someone's life forever. Many thanks to the survivors of the accident five years ago for being here and sharing their thoughts with us. We here at Dateline NBC wish them all continued happiness. Good night."

The End


End file.
